I
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1370
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 7, 2007
Mr. Buyer (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Herseth, and Mr. Lamborn) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Disabled Veterans Sports and Special
Events Promotion Act of 2007
.
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events
Establishment of Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events
Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events
Establishment
There is in the Department an Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events. There is at the head of the Office a Director.
Responsibilities of Director
Subject to the direction of the Secretary, the Director—
shall establish and carry out qualifying programs and events;
may provide for sponsorship by the Department of qualifying programs and events;
may provide for, facilitate, and encourage participation by disabled veterans in qualifying programs and events; and
shall cooperate with the United States Olympic Committee and its subsidiaries to promote the participation of disabled veterans in sporting events sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee and its subsidiaries.
Qualifying program or event
For purposes of this section, a qualifying program or event is a sports program or other event in which veterans with disabilities participate and that is approved by the Secretary as being consistent with the goals and missions of the Department.
Monthly assistance allowance
The Director may provide a monthly assistance allowance to a veteran with a service-connected disability for any month in which the veteran is participating in any event sanctioned by the United States Olympic Committee or who is residing at a United States Olympic Committee training center.
The amount of the monthly assistance payable to a veteran under paragraph (1) shall be equal to the monthly amount of subsistence allowance that would be payable to the veteran under chapter 31 of this title if the veteran were eligible for and entitled to rehabilitation under such chapter.
Any amount of assistance paid to a veteran under this subsection shall be in addition to any other assistance available to the veteran under any other provision of law.
Support for United States Olympic Committee military paralympic program
The Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the United States Olympic Committee under which the Secretary shall agree to provide support, including direct support and reimbursement for Committee expenditures, for the military paralympic program of the Committee.
In the documents providing detailed
information on the budget for the Department that the Secretary submits to
Congress in conjunction with the President’s budget submission for each fiscal
year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, the Secretary shall set forth
separately the amount requested to carry out this section under the following
heading: United States Olympic Committee Military Paralympic Program
Support
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There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $2,000,000 for each fiscal year.
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Deadline for memorandum of understanding
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall enter into the memorandum of understanding with the United States Olympic Committee required under section 321(e)(1) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a).
Clerical amendment
The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
321. Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events.
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